king (redirected from kinged)

king

Male sovereign over a nation or territory, of higher rank than any other ruler except an emperor. A king's female counterpart is a queen. Some kings have been elected, as in medieval Germany, but most inherit the position. The community may concentrate all spiritual and political power in the sovereign, or power may be shared constitutionally with other government institutions. Some kings are heads of state but not heads of government. In the past, some were regarded as semidivine representatives of God on Earth; others were viewed as gods in their own right or supernatural beings who became gods after death (see divine kingship). Since the 17th century the power held by monarchs, particularly those in western Europe, has been widely regarded as deriving from the people. See also constitutional monarchy; khan; monarchy; pharaoh; tsar.

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king

1. a male sovereign prince who is the official ruler of an independent state; monarch

2. any of four playing cards in a pack, one for each suit, bearing the picture of a king

3. the most important chess piece, although theoretically the weakest, being able to move only one square at a time in any direction

4. Draughts a piece that has moved entirely across the board and has been crowned, after which it may move backwards as well as forwards

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King

1. BB, real name Riley B. King. born 1925, US blues singer and guitarist

2. Billie Jean (n?eMoffitt). born 1943, US tennis player: Wimbledon champion 1966--68, 1972--73, and 1975; US champion 1967, 1971--72, and 1974

3. Martin Luther. 1929--68, US Baptist minister and civil-rights leader. He advocated nonviolence in his campaigns against the segregation of Blacks in the South: assassinated: Nobel Peace Prize 1964

4. Stephen (Edwin). born 1947, US writer esp of horror novels; his books, many of which have been filmed, include Carrie (1974), The Shining (1977), Misery (1988), and Everything's Eventual (2002)

5. William Lyon Mackenzie. 1874--1950, Canadian Liberal statesman; prime minister (1921--26; 1926--30; 1935--48)